Amusement device.



No. 852,248. PATENTED APR. 30, 1907. W. T. WATSON.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16. 1906.

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AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV-15. 1906.

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AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILLED NOV.15,190G.

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TTNTTED STATES PATENT UFFTQEQ WILLIAM THOMAS WATsON, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, OANADA. AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Application filed November 15,

To (til whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM VVATSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Amusement Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in amusement devices of that type in which rotating wheels are provided and cars suspended from points adjacent the circumference of each wheel, said cars being designed for carrying passengers.

More particularly, this invention relates to certain improvements over the device disclosed and claimed in my application, Serial No. 286,692, filed November 10, 1905.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby the car-carrying wheel moves around in a circle with the supporting platform, but whereby the wheel is caused to continuously rotate in the opposite direction. This produces an unusual motion, for as any car on the wheel passes the center of the latter it would seem to overtake the platform in its movement but as soon as it reaches the lower portion of the wheel it appears to rapidly recede.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotating platform. moving with the wheels, whereby all of the operating parts are concealed and the public thus protected.

The invention consists in certain other features of major or minor importance, all of which will be set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof, certain parts being broken away Fig. 3 is a plan view of portions of the movable and stationary platforms and the supports for the rollers; and Fig. 4 is a detail showing the engagement of the wheels with the rollers.

In the construction of my improved amusement device, I employ a large circular stationary platform supported in any suit able manner at a short distance above the ground, and having two annular rails 11 secured thereto adjacent the outer circumference and forming an annular track. Extend- Specifieation of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907. 1906. Serial No. 343,484.

J ing upward through the center of the station- TnOMAs I l l l ary platform 10 and centrally of the annular track, is a large hollow rotating shaft 12 having suitable means below the platform for supporting and rotating the same. As shown, this means comprises a bevel gear wheel 13 meshing with a bevel gear 14 carried by a horizontal shaft 15 extending to any suitable source of power, and the lower end of the shaft is provided with ball-bearings coacting with a suitable socket 16. It is evident that the shaft may be supported in any suitable manner, and any suitable means for rotating it, as, for instance, an electric-inotor, connected directly to the shaft 13.

Rig-idly secured to the vertical shaft 12 and at a point a short distance above the stationary platform 10, is a large opcnwork metal frame 17 having a hub 17" connected to the shaft, and having at a plurality of points around its circumference, means for supporting a plurality of rollers 18 in engagement with the rails 11. Each of these rollers comprises two cylindrical portions 19 adapted to rest upon the two rails, while flanges 20 engage with the side of each rail for preventing the accidental displacement of the roller. Intermediate the two flanges 20 is a beveled or conical section 21, adapted to engage with the large rotating wheels in a manner hereinafter pointed out. The frame 17 being rigidly secured to the rotating shaft 12 and supporting the rollers 18 within journals, is caused to rotate with the shaft 12 and serves to steady and support the same.

Supported upon the frame 17 is a circular rotating platform 22, Slightly larger than the frame 17 or the stationary platform 10, and having a downwardly-projecting cylindrical flange 23, the lower edge of which lies closely adjacent the outer edge of the stationary platform. This rotating platform and flange serve to conceal the frame 17 and the rollers, and to prevent any foreign matter from interfering with their normal operation, or the passengers from accidentally being injured.

The upper end of the shaft 12 is provided with a bearing 24, within which is supported a rotating shaft carrying on its outer ends the large power supporting wheels 26. As the platform 22 rotates with the shaft 12, I provide suitable braces 27 rigidly connecting the platform and shaft, so that each helps to support the other. The rotating wheels 26 and cars 28 suspended therefrom are substantially the same as those disclosed in my previous application, save that the outer edges of the wheels are cut at an angle or bevel. rather than being at right anglesto the surfaces of the wheels. The rotating platform 22 is provided with two parallelslots 29 at opposite sides of the shaft 12 and directly over two of the trucks or pairs of rollers. The lower edges of the wheels 26 extend down through these slots and the beveled edges of the wheels engage with the conical intermediate sections of the rollers. For holding the wheels 26 in their proper position and for better supporting the same, 1 may, if desired, provide guide rollers 30 supported upon small brackets 31 carried by the rotating platform. These rollers are located at the ends of the slots 29 and the surface of said rollers is cut at the required angle whereby they will engage with the beveled edges of the car supporting wheels.

1n the operation of my improved apparatus above described, the shaft 12 is rotated in any suitable manner, and the platform 22 and frame 17 carrying the roller trucks, rotate with said shaft. The horizontal shaft 25 supports the car-carrying wheels with their lower edges extending through the slots 29 into engagement with the rollers, and as the shaft 25 swings around in a horizontal plane, the wheels 26 are caused to rotate due to fric tion with the rollers, and the cars 28 are moved around the circumferences of the car supporting wheels. The cars receive not only a circular motion around the track, but

they also simultaneously receive a circular motion in a vertical plane around the center of the shaft 25. The two independent motions thus produced are substantially the same as those produced in my previous device, but they are combined in an entirely different manner and-the resultant effect differs very radically. In my previous device the wheels 26 merely rotated around upon the stationary platform, but in the construc tion above described the wheels 26 rotate in the opposite direction from what they would were the 'rollers omitted and the wheels merely engaged with the track. In my previous device there was no backward movement of the car in respect to the stationary platform; they always traveled forward but their forward speed was greater at some times than at others. In my construction above described, the cars during a portion of their travel, have a positive backward movement, namely, while at the upper portion of the wheel, while their forward motion at the lower portion of the wheel is much faster than in the previous construction. The path taken by the car of the present device is far more confused and complicated and the effect produced is entirely different.

Any suitable form of platform 32 may be provided entirely around the apparatus concentric with the track, whereby the passen rollers, cars carried by said wheels,

gers may more easily enter and depart from the cars, and various changes in the form and construction of the cars may be made as these form no part of my present invention. If desired, a second shaft 25 may be provided at right angles to the shaft shown, and carrying wheels entering through slots similar to the slots 29 and engaging with the second air of trucks shown. I

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An amusement device, comprising a track, rollers in engagement with said track, a horizontal shaft, a wheel mounted on said shaft and in engagement with said rollers, and cars carried by said wheel.

2. An amusement device, comprising an annular track, rollers in engagement with said track, a horizontal shaft, wheels mounted on said shaft and in engagement with said and means for moving said shaft in a horizontal lane whereby the wheels are caused to rotate by their engagement with said rollers.

3. An amusement device, comprising an annular track, a frame, rollers supported within said frame and in engagement with said track, a horizontal shaft, a wheel mounted on said shaft and in engagement with said rollers, cars carried by said wheel and means for moving said shaft in a horizontal plane to cause the rotation of the wheel due to its engagement with said rollers.

a. An amusement device, comprising an annular track, a rotating platform, rollers supported adjacent the circumference of said platform and in engagement With said track, a horizontal shaft, a wheel mounted on said shaft and in engagement with said rollers, cars carried by said wheels and means for moving said shaft, platform and rollers in a horizontal plane.

5. An amusement device, comprising an annular track, rollers supported upon said track, a wheel having its circumferential edge in engagement with said rollers, a plurality of cars carried by said wheel, and means for moving said wheel along said track, whereby it is caused to rotate by its engagement with. said rollers.

6. An amusement device, comprising a stationary annular track, a circular platform above said track, rollers in engagement with said track and below said platform, a wheel supported above said platform and having its lower edge in engagement with said rollers, cars carried by said wheel and means for simultaneously moving said platform and said Wheel around said track while the wheel is caused to rotate in the reverse direction.

7. An amusement device, comprising an annularv track, rollers supported upon said track, a platform above said rollers and having a slot directly above the latter, a hori- IIO zontal shaft parallel to said mounted on said shaft and having its lower edge extending through said slot and into engagement with said rollers, and a plurality of cars suspended from said wheel.

8. An amusement device, comprising a vertical shaft, a frame carried thereby, rollers carried in said frame, a stationary track in engagement with said rollers, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted in the upper end of the first mentioned shaft, wheels at the ends of said horizontal shaft and having their lower edges in engagement with said rollers, and a plurality of cars suspended from said wheels.

0. An amusement device, comprising a stationary platform, an annular track supported thereon, a vertical shaft, a rotating platform carried thereby, rollers supported beneath said. platform and in engagement with said track, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted within the upper end of said first mentioned shaft, Wheels supported upon the outer ends of said horizontal shaft and having their lower edges extending through slots in said platform and into engagement with said rollers, and a plurality of cars suspended from. said Wheels.

10. An amusement device, comprising an annular track, a vertical shaft, a frame carried by said shaft, rollers mounted in said frame and in engagement with. said track, a

platform, a wheel rotary platform carried by said shaft and having slots adjacent said rollers, a horizon- 5 tal shaft rotatably mounted in the upper end l of said vertical shaft, wheels upon the oppol site ends of said horizontal shaft and having their beveled circumferential edges extending through the slots in the platform and into i engagement with said rollers, and a plurality l of cars suspended from said wheels. 11. An amusement device, comprising a stationar T platform, two annular tracks su ported thereon, a vertical shaft, a platform carried thereby and substantially parallel to i said stationary platform, rollers supported f intermediate said platform and in engagel ment with said tracks, each of said rollers having cylindrical portions in engagement with each track and having an intermediate conical section, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted at the upper end of said first mentioned shaft, wheels mounted on the ends of said horizontal shaft and having their beveled circumferential edges in engagement with the conical portions of said rollers, and a plurality of cars mounted upon said wheels.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

lVIliLL THOMAS WATSON. lVitnesses: L. EDWIN DUDLEY, l N. C. POWERS. 

